Diary of a coach: a day in the life of teaching your children (Part 1)

By Guillermo Celard Pérez, Professional Tennis Coach at Sánchez-Casal Academy, Florida.

I am not the standard coach who arrives and leaves work at the appointed time after having ticked off “x” number of tennis classes. I am a 31 year old man, who, when I was 15, the same age as the majority of your children, my parents decided to send me to a tennis academy.

Initially, probably the same as many of your children, I didn’t understand why my family had made this decision. I was forced to play tennis and study in Barcelona, where I didn’t know anybody, far away from my family and without the technology that surrounds us nowadays allowing us to keep in touch. Like everyone, I had low and difficult moments, but it was thanks to the determination of the coaches, the bonds that I created with them as well as the relationships fostered with my classmates, that I thoroughly appreciated the opportunity to have that experience. The coaches helped us to understand, and gave meaning to, the path that we had embarked upon.

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Today, I give thanks to those amazing years, and the opportunity that my parents gave me to meet people from different cultures, to connect with and accept every one of them, and to make new friends, some for life. I am grateful for the knowledge that my coaches taught me, all the effort, the long hours on and off the court, helping me to understand not just tennis, but something else, which for me has been the most important lesson: “the value of life”.

Having lived through this experience attaches special value to my work; I already know the importance of having a person you can trust “who at times, becomes a friend, brother, or father…” when you need them.

Ultimately, I am an educator, and as the best teacher told me back in the day: “Guillermo, offer your players all the good things your coaches gave you, and everything that they didn’t give you but you would have liked”.

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Three years ago I had the opportunity of joining a team of trainers at the Sánchez-Casal Academy (ASC) in Barcelona, after which I was offered a place at the academy in Naples, Florida. At ASC I have found a place where I can share my lessons learned and work towards the values I believe in, those of this institution: create opportunities in tennis, in education and in life. It’s for this reason that I am able to dedicate myself to my work with such passion and joy.

I start the day quite early. First I walk to the club where I spend the most of my working day, I take a shower to get me going and have breakfast with all the students of the academy. Immediately afterwards the team gets underway with a short pre-training meeting, which helps to make sure that everything is well structured and organised.

From there, we go directly to the courts where 3 hours of intense training awaits us. Every day is a new challenge, a new page of the book that our students have to write in with beautiful handwriting. The whole team goes out of their way for the players, providing technical/tactical/fitness/mental advice to something more simple or complicated, like education, respect, passion and the determination to pursue their dreams, whether it be with care or reprimands, whatever is needed in the moment.

Sometimes we have to say things that some players don’t want to hear and won’t accept! When they are not doing something well enough and you explain it to them in a positive way so they understand what they have to do in order to improve,  some of them don’t know how to accept the advice and react badly. Others, on the other hand, accept it very well and react very positively. What I try to make them see is that really, what I do is educate them. One has to be patient with teenagers, have the practical skills to know how to handle them, but also have the passion in your heart to do so.

When we finish the tennis session, the students go to shower and straight afterwards to school. The coaches head to the office for around an hour and a half to do the work required behind the scenes: working on the computer, reports, registering for and withdrawing from competitions, preparing budgets and travel logistics to and from tournaments.

When the students leave school we meet together again to eat. There is always someone in the team supervising meals. Nutrition is very important for our athletes as is what and how they eat; we ensure they follow a nutritious diet so that they are able to complete their challenging routine with as much energy as possible.

Once they have finish eating, it’s time for students to return to school. We go back to the office, to continue with our tasks and prepare the afternoon sessions with the little ones of the academy.

Mid-afternoon we return to the court for a session of 1-2 hours depending on the day, with the afterschool students. Children who live in the area come after school for their training, and follow the same system as the players in the academy; they also join with a middle school group who split their training times between mornings and afternoons. The oldest go to the gym where our physical training team teaches the players to understand how their bodies work, improve their flexibility, condition and skills.

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As soon as they finish in the gym, everyone goes to shower and next we head to dinner. There’s no time to lose in the academy, the timetable is tight and demanding – just like the sport, just like life.

Next everybody begins their studies, for around an hour the children have study hall. Just like during mealtimes, a member of the technical team, alongside the head of the school, stays with the students while they do their homework.

Once study time has finished, it’s time to go home. It’s already 8.30pm and the students’ communal living continues at their accommodation, some carry on with their homework, others talk to their families and friends on social networks. Us, the ‘adults’, take advantage of this time to speak to them about personal things; this is the right time to get them to open up and do our job of tutoring them. And of course, whenever tennis matches are on, we get everyone together to watch the game.

After all of this, it’s time to relax, turn the lights off and everyone goes to sleep.

This is only a taste of what a day is like for me: hard but gratifying. I can see how the efforts of so many years, time on the court and in the office since I started in my home town has materialised into finding my place in the Sánchez-Casal Academy, where I can also continue my own education, attending courses and congresses like the ICI (International Coaches Institute) run by Emilio Sánchez and Luis Mediero. All that effort means results!

Guillermo Celard Pérez

Professional Tennis Coach at Sánchez-Casal Academy Florida

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THE PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS OF THE ASC INTERNCONTINENTAL PROGRAM

By Eva Borras, Sports Psychologist at Sánchez-Casal Academy, Florida.

When as a parent, you introduce your kids to tennis, you’ll immediately see a lot of benefits. They’ll make new friends, improve their social skills, have fun, develop new motor skills, and learn how to manage their school and study time. Their tolerance to frustration will gradually increase, and their self-esteem will improve. But tennis and school work are not always compatible.

Training at a tennis academy like Sánchez-Casal (with sites in Barcelona and Florida) helps young tennis players to have a far more organised tennis program, with all the services they need integrated into the timetable. An international school alongside technical, tactical, physical and mental training for high performance, with years of experience accredited with the training of players such as Andy Murray or Svetlana Kuznetsova.

There’s more. The Sánchez-Casal Academy have taken an innovative step forward in the education of players by creating a unique program made up of both training and academic education, the only one of its kind in the world. The tennis and high school Intercontinental Program allows students to train half the year in Florida and the other half in Barcelona.

With this program, players don’t only acquire all the psychological benefits of playing sport as described above, but those formed by spending time studying abroad, in two continents over just one year.

Players can meet and connect with students from all over the world, from different cultures, with different experiences, and share their daily lives. They learn from others in a way that’s completely practical. The experience of living in two cultures in just one year, but under the same ASC school system, helps our student tennis players to grow up to be high-achieving, rounded human beings.

 

Eva Borras

Sports Psychologist at Sánchez-Casal Academy Florida

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Sanchez-Casal opens in China

By Emilio Sánchez Vicario, CEO & Founder at Academia Sánchez-Casal

I’m sitting here surrounded by mountains finishing the presentation for the Chinese press and the numerous audience of the Tennis Academy of China Sanchez-Casal. On my left there is Mrs. Li, President of the China Tennis Association, and on my right there is Mr. Yan from the Samaranch Foundation. The General Director of Sports from the Jiangsu province, Mr. Chen, is giving his speech about values, education, opportunities, and competitiveness. It is the third speech that conveys the same message, and listening to this key people in China I realize that our mission and years of dedication to others are the goal of any institution. I’m thinking that with a half-smile on my face.

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As I look around, something is moving inside of me, similar to the feeling you have when you are going to compete, and you feel a fire in your belly. I feel confident, proud, challenged, and competitive, I feel that the dream is finally coming true and that I am part of it. I am ready for the battle. After 15 years of talks and negotiations, the day has arrived.

Sanchez-Casal is going to open the new Asia-Pacific Academy.

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Today starts a new battle, I also know that this match is not going to be easy, no one before has succeeded in this amazing country, everyone who has tried has failed, and here I am starting a new project with uncertainty but also with lots of knowhow, energy and a great team.

Since I founded Academia Sanchez-Casal back in 1998 with Sergio Casal, our goal was to set-up a school in Europe (Barcelona), in the USA (Naples) and in Asia. My first trip to China was to Chengdu to do some clinics and after I went to Beijing to talk with the Beijing Association in 2001, after a few trips looking for sites and some time trying to convince them to send us their best player to try to make it competitive for the Beijing Olympics; he came to train but after 4 months he had to go back to defend his province. For that reason after the second time it happened it was impossible to close a deal since their expectations were to win locally with the province in Nationals instead to improve to arrive to Olympics. We could train him only for 3 months and the rest of time he was in China; it was a pity but after 2 years the collaboration ended.

The year after I started conversations with Singapore, an amazing island that had all the ingredients to become a Tennis Hub for the Asia-Pacific region. I got really involved, prepared a project, went there and presented it to all the different departments; it arrived in the government hierarchy to the Minister of Sports, he was really keen. They also visited Barcelona with 2 delegations. But at the end the urban department turned it down.Opens China 3

Later in the year and trough our kind agent Mrs. Ho, we got into conversations with Shanghai, the governmental bus company was responsible of running the incredible facilities where the Masters took place, they were looking for partners. I made one more trip and put lots of energy but at the end nothing happened again. In the meantime we also visited Japan but the site didn’t have the requirements needed.

Singapore people found out about our conversations with others and they called again, this time it was serious, we even had a local government partner and the operation looked almost closed, but again the urban department offered a ridiculous price one more time. The Singapore government had the vision to become a sports hub in 2030 and the Academy was in their plans but the Urban Department just didn’t understand how difficult is to run this business. Not even for building a Four Seasons would we pay that amount for the land.

My idea, efforts, trips and visits were not materializing, but I had to keep going; tennis taught me that you have to keep fighting even in the adversity, you have to be resilient and you may turn the match back to your side. Opportunities like trains pass close to you and you have to decide if seizing them or not. Suddenly in 2012 we closed a very good deal and opened our American operations base in Naples, Florida. My people thought that I was crazy but I decided with the support of my wife to move to the US to start a new operation.

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At that moment I had two proposals on my table again, the first one in Shenzhen, which was not going to be possible because of the differences between our models, as they did not offer the option to open our high school. Thailand made a really good offer but when we got to investment / funding they backed up. And Shanghai again, this time they contacted us trough J.A. Samaranch and the Samaranch Foundation, but after a site visit and before looking even at numbers things again didn’t work.

This time I was devastated, I started to doubt that we could one day find the good fit. But I was so busy with the USA business, permits, licenses, applications, and building the club there that I was not worried at all, I had enough on my side, my team of people in Naples was not stable, I had to really work hard to settle things and move along.

In the meantime in Barcelona we had the most horrible news, the soul of the academy Antonio Hernandez left us, we all were in shock. Things were uncertain, but like if his soul stayed around, the team fought hard, they succeed, and the last 2 years there were really impressive results, that allowed me to focus on the US project. And I want to say a few words about my team, my people, they had for sure been inspired by Antonio, but they showed me and I suppose as well to themselves, how capable they are, and they can be proud to have taken ASC to its present level. I have to say that after 2 years I still miss him a lot, and before taking decisions I always ask myself, what would Antonio do? His legacy is inside all of us and he can be very proud wherever he is.

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Life always goes around and after a few months J.A. Samaranch calls me back. ”We have to go to Nanjing! This is our chance! It’s an amazing venue! The government wants to make an offer!” After all these years I never thought that this could be the good one, I was not excited but my friendship with the Samaranch family and my respect for the Samaranch Foundation convinced me to make the trip to China from the US, around the world for 2 days to check another site.

We visited the facilities, met with the politicians, and this time the feeling was different, Mr. Jiang really wanted to reach an agreement, he was really keen to make a collaboration agreement, negotiations started, followed in Barcelona and then through the great work of the staff of the Foundation we clarified all details, finally agreed on terms, had to write the contracts, so many difficulties again but when people want to do it at the end things happen. And looking back I’m so thankful to the Samaranch Foundation, without them I would not be here today.

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I have to take a moment to talk about the legacy of Mr. Samaranch in the Chinese Sports, the respect everyone has for him. Being grateful is something that they have here, and even many years after he left us, we can say that today the Samaranch foundation is the vehicle from the Chinese Government to support unprivileged through sports.

Samaranch is probably one of the key actors in sports in China this century, and I’m proud as a Spaniard that they are so thankful to him. In Spain we should learn how to thank the people that made a difference. Big lessons learned.

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Juan Antonio’s son is following his footsteps and he arrived the day after the presentation for support, thanks for the trip, for the help, for the partnership to help others.

I have seen many clubs and academies in my years as a player and I can say that I’m so fortunate because this facility has everything needed to be successful: 8 indoor courts, 14 hard courts, 7 red clay courts, 4 natural grass, club house, gym, lodging, restaurants. The mountains around the facilities are magic, you can breathe the history; we are surrounded by all the castles and the palaces of the six dynasties that reigned China for more than 700 years, when Nanjing was its capital. The Tennis Academy of China Sanchez-Casal is inside the University and around the Nanjing Institute of Sports where they have a research and innovation center focusing on development of athletes, so I can say that this time we were lucky, very lucky.

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The past goes through my head, very fast, Shanghai, Singapore… And all the difficult negotiations are all past, we are here and I can start to work, my expression is the same than the one you have when you finish a match and win, it has the light of the victory. April 2016, 15 years after my first trip, today I can say we have a presence in the 3 continents. Tennis Academy of China Sanchez-Casal is a reality.

This past March we started a campaign on TV and media called “Intercontinental program”, which is UNIQUE in the tennis world; 2 continents, 2 cultures, one school Sanchez-Casal. Today I am already thinking in the next campaign; 3 continents, 3 cultures, one school Sanchez-Casal.

I turn to my right and see my team, 4 coaches have transferred their lives to China. I look at them with admiration, 4 professionals that have decided to leave their comfort zone and move to another country, to start a new project, to fight the uncertainty and work hard. One more time people is the key to go ahead and pass barriers, and I look at them and feel their loyalty, their respect, their fighting spirit, they have all my support and I believe that they will make Sanchez-Casal a success because they know but more than anything because they care for the others, and that makes a big difference.Sanchez-Casal after almost 20 years is located in 3 continents; our mission of giving opportunities in tennis and education expands to a new venue for the future. These 4 coaches have an incredible opportunity to grow, to improve and to learn, and I hope they will take it, like many others did in the past in the USA or in Spain.

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The energy generated in Education is key because you write stories and you are part of them, today they know us because we have put 20 top 100 in the Pro Tour, 5 of those top 5 with more than 10 slams. And not to mention names Murray, Kuznetsova, Sanchez, Ivanovic, Hantuchova, Monaco, Dimitrov, Serna, Muller, Gavisbhily, and many others. These stories of success are great but the ones I love the most are the ones from our students that want to play college tennis and write their stories with an amazing education and hard work, more than 150 of our students have entered college tennis teams. Being part of the lives of these kids give us energy to continue, being part of their lives keep us young and our journey in this world makes sense, because helping others to live better is always rewarding. Today we can bring our philosophy to a new culture and in some years we will review if we were able to write more stories.

I always tell my coaches that we are part of the circle of life and that is not changeable, that stays, we make a difference in people and we accompany them, we are very fortunate.

At this moment I’m in the flight arriving to Florida and I can share with you that all the efforts during all these years putting together the centers, working hard, giving everything for the kids, is worth it and I know that this tough match is going to be remembered, because we start again and will write stories that have a positive impact on others, and this is priceless, is what give us the energy to keep fighting and win the matches. There is no better example than after so many lost sets, 15 years later ASC wins the match.

Emilio Sánchez Vicario

CEO & Founder at Sánchez-Casal Academy

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Teaching athletes how to eat for maximum performance

By Sergi Bonillo, Food and Beverage manager at Academia Sánchez-Casal, Barcelona.

In the Sánchez-Casal Academy, we have the firm belief that in order to reach maximum performance level and develop in the best possible way, young sports players must be educated in the field of nutrition. Our aim is to teach them how to choose the right foods for each period of training and/or competition, and to follow a diet which reflects the continuous changes that happen on a daily basis in their sporting lives.

The objectives of nutritional training are:

  • Learn the food groups according to their nutritional characteristics.
  • Understand the concept of a balanced and healthy diet.
  • Know the recommended servings and frequency of meals.
  • Distribute food correctly throughout the day into 5 or 6 meals, adapted to the player’s timetable and the content of their training.
  • Know how to modify the volume of food to ensure energy levels are high enough depending on the cycle of training.
  • To raise awareness, and provide guidelines, for hydration in different situations and environmental conditions.

It is our belief that nutritional education is not a passive action but something that requires active participation of the individual. It is important that players acquire the theoretical knowledge to put the proposed nutritional strategies into practice.

At Sánchez-Casal we have a number of specific nutritional objectives we aim to achieve with our players, through the different programs that we offer:

  • To ensure players acquire the basic information and knowledge of the training process and metabolism of energy.
  • To highlight the relationship between the nutritional plans and performance.
  • Establish appropriate diet monitoring systems for reference and check the results obtained.
  • Provide accurate information on the virtues of certain supplements and ergogenic substances.

Nutritional Education in the Sánchez-Casal annual program

Going to the dining room is one of the most important parts of eating properly for our athletes. When our players eat at the Academy’s sports dining room buffet, we have available a series of special monitoring and follow-up measures for each student, which aim to set parameters and achieve the objectives outlined by the Sánchez-Casal nutritional training.

Between 8-12 years old: Children aged 8-12 have a more rigid and controlled plan, in which we encourage the children to open their minds and try new flavors and textures in the food we offer, which is based on the Mediterranean diet. We encourage the habit of eating a varied diet, and emphasize the need for each meal to contain all the food groups.

Between 10-14 years old: At 10 years old we give the player the opportunity to choose their own food and actively participate in creating their own menu. Our focus is for them to be much more aware of their choices, as well as how to rectify them if they deviate from their nutritional needs.

From 14 years old onwards: From 14 years old we stress that the player is old enough and has the experience to make decisions for themselves and choose the foods that best suit them, respecting their decisions if they are informed of the consequences.

Servicios de nutricion

Our objective is to provide nutritional advice so that the players can manage their diet individually and independently, and take on board a base of knowledge which includes the consequences of not following a healthy diet. This is sure to have benefits on players’ health and their performance in sport. The dining room regulations are established with the head of nutrition at the Sánchez-Casal Academy, coaches, personal fitness trainers and supervisors, and assisted by trainees studying a Master’s course in Sports Nutrition at the University of Barcelona.

In the dining room, the players can rely on the knowledge and support of the professionals that help them, asking questions and raising doubts with those who are present to advise them during mealtimes.

The annual program also includes talks on nutrition and diet, advice and hydration recommendations.

To complement these services included in the annual package of the player/student, we have a program available to deepens understanding of nutrition and the personalization of nutritional and dietary services.

Our sessions on sport nutrition

The pack of sessions on sport nutrition is made up of a series of theoretical and practical sessions that teach students how to eat a balanced diet and reach maximum performance with a complete and varied diet. These sessions are held in groups of up to four players accompanied by a tutor.

The sessions are divided into 4 blocks, with one training session per block and each session lasting 60-90 minutes.

  • BLOCK 1: A balanced diet.
  • BLOCK 2: Hydration and sport.
  • BLOCK 3: Nutritional strategies for competitions.
  • BLOCK 4: Ergogenic nutritional support in sport.

The sessions include:

  • Didactic material.
  • 1 individual personalized visit with a dietician specialized in sport nutrition.
  • Interaction between sessions.
  • Tests for nutritional monitoring.

Personalized diet consultation

We offer the possibility of individualized consultations that provide detailed information on food habits, meal timetables and physical exercise.

  • Diet analysis.
  • Includes anthropometric measurements (weight, height, bioelectrical impedance analysis).

Monitoring consultations

  • Personalized food plan.
  • Anthropometric measurements (weight, height, bioelectrical impedance analysis).
  • Diet guidelines for before, during, and after competitions.
  • Follow-ups and adjustments to food plan.

 

Sergi Bonillo

Food and Beverage manager at Academia Sánchez-Casal Barcelona

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Tennis and studying in 2 continents. Are you ready?

By Emilio Sánchez Vicario, CEO & Founder at Sánchez-Casal Academy.

This last weekend has been really special. My trip to Spain drained my physical defences, fever took its toll on my body and bad posture froze up my neck. Although I wasn’t feeling well, I went home without remembering that it was the weekend of the Davis Cup. I sat in front of the television watching match after match, with all the emotion of the competition – what a great weekend I’ve had! To see Hewitt take the fifth set against the Bryan brothers, Noah lead his super team, the young Coric win a complex fifth point, or Zverev, another young player, crushed by the pressure of the fifth point. At the end I was left with Andy Murray and his epic victory in front of his people, against Nishikori.

The Davis Cup is so great, so special, absorbing and powerful that people sing, cheer and dress in the colours of their players. At last in Great Britain they are beginning to feel the team colours and see Andy throwing himself into playing for his country, enjoying the fight, I love it.

Another one of the most important reasons that I was waiting with so much excitement was to see the new advert from our latest campaign on Tennis Channel. In it, we present our Intercontinental program with the spectacular Ali Collins appears playing at the Academy.

Also, as I was reminded by Twitter, it’s time for celebration. Yesterday marked 25 years since I managed to reach the finals of the Indian Wells Tournament against Boris Becker. It was at that time, being close to Los Angeles, that I had the opportunity to visit my sister Marisa in Perperdine where she was studying. That was the moment when the idea of creating an academy began to take shape, not the typical tennis centre, but a new concept: to unite High Performance Tennis with quality schooling under the American academic system.

From my trips abroad and my own experience, I realised how difficult it was to be able to combine training with studies, trips and tournaments, because back in my day everything was done in a different place. You trained on one site, did fitness training in another, and then you had to go to the other side of town to study… With time I realised just how difficult it was to be a tennis player, and all the important stages that one has to get through in order to become professional.

It was always clear to me that if I created something, it would have to be an Academy where the players could also study. I wanted everything to be located in the same place to optimize time, and establish this essential order and organisation which every player needs.

This week is special to me… I won’t be playing in the Indian Wells Tournament final but I have managed to achieve something great: offering young people a program combining tennis and studying over two continents alongside the possibility to experience two cultures, two life experiences provided by the innovative and unique Sánchez-Casal Academy Intercontinental Program together with ES International School.

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I have always thought that in terms of training, an academic education is a very important part of the development of a young sportsperson; in the competitive world we live in, those who combine tennis and studying prepare themselves for a future with a lot more guarantees.

Every year, when I see not just the number of graduates, but the human quality of these young people who are going on to study at university in the United States, I realise that this initial idea was the right one. Even more so when the United States continues to set the standards for universities that combine sport and studies.

Lastly, this photo of past Christmases shows that our dream to be able to study and play tennis has become a reality: Carlos, Delia and Nuria dressed, with pride, in their universities’ colours.

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And what about you? Are you ready for the future?

 

Emilio Sánchez Vicario

CEO & Founder at Sánchez-Casal Academy

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